A lap board-type of siding that can be sold in roll form in order to accommodate the need for an alternative to continuous metal siding has been unknown prior to the developments disclosed here. An alternative to continuous metal siding is needed because the cost of seamless metal siding is often prohibitive due to the fact that the required machinery is sufficiently expensive that installation is usually available only from enterprises specializing in that product.
Residential siding material choices available to individuals who have the desire and ability to do their own construction, rehabilitation, or home improvement work are unlikely to include seamless siding. The absence of a high quality, low maintenance siding material is a serious limitation in the marketplace. Retail home improvement centers enjoy increasing sales as more people find themselves involved in "do-it-yourself" projects. Persons who maintain and improve the quality of their dwellings may be rewarded by enhanced property value as well as a more appealing place to live. It also seems that improvements made to properties stimulates nearby property owners to improve additional properties. This phenomenon can lead to rehabilitation of housing in older or disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Houses in such areas are particularly in need of low-cost ways to effect genuine, lasting, improvements. Water has often damaged the siding on older houses. Sometimes there are so many coats of paint that it is quite challenging to prepare a surface for restorative painting. Some siding materials such as redwood contain oils that will cause even properly applied paint to peel from properly prepared surface after 30 to 40 years. Replacement siding boards are often quite expensive, and in some cases it is necessary to have special cutters machined so that boards can be milled to match the existing installation. Cost may prohibit repair and restoration of some moderately deteriorated dwellings, especially the larger old homes that are available in many cities and towns. Such housing can present a way for individuals and families of moderate means to substantially increase their net worth. The purchase price is often affordable, and judicious renovations can yield a pleasant home with enhanced resale value. In order for renovations of old houses to be practical, however, the operating costs must usually be reduced. Utilities costs can be reduced by insulating, reducing air infiltration, replacing furnaces, air conditioners, and other appliances with modern high-efficiency models, by using suitable landscape materials; and by reducing the amount and frequency of painting needed to keep the property in good condition and appearance.
One way to reduce the need for painting is to use siding materials such as stucco and brick that need little maintenance. Steel, aluminum, and vinyl siding also require less maintenance than do wood-based siding products. Seamless siding installation is usually restricted to specialists. Pre-formed vinyl siding for houses is currently available only in lengths of approximately 121/2 feet. The fact that the availability of the material is limited to only a few styles and lengths limits the adoption of vinyl siding because the cost is increased due to waste. In addition, the fact that the available lengths are relatively short dictates that there will be joints.
End-to-end joints are both unsightly and a potential source of failure of the installation. The presence of end-to-end joints greatly increases the likelihood that water will penetrate the siding. Siding failure is virtually assured unless satisfactory provisions are made to prevent water penetration. Water that accumulates at the inside surface of a generally impermeable type of siding is difficult to remove. Rot, rust, and corrosion can quickly damage important load-bearing structural components. Chronic respiratory irritation can also be created or aggravated by molds and mildew that thrive on decaying wood, paper, and other building materials. The difficulty of water management in wall systems is compounded because siding expands and contracts in response to varying temperatures.
One common method of preventing water from penetrating siding butt joints is to fit the ends of adjacent pieces of siding into sleeves that have a cross-section that matches that of the siding. The sleeve can remain stationary while permitting the siding to withdraw when coldness contracts the material and the siding can penetrate farther when higher the material expands in response to higher temperatures. Unfortunately, dirt can accumulate in the sleeves and cause unsightly streaks on the side of the building. Even worse, siding will sometimes slip out of the sleeves, causing unsightly and damaging conditions. For that reason, it would be desirable to form the siding in continuous pieces that are cut to the needed length individually at the location where the siding is to be installed.
Several workers in the field have obtained patents directed to various vinyl siding improvements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,728 issued Dec. 9, 1997 to Heath et al. for a Vinyl Siding System that shows a system for interlocking imitation log siding strips together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,940 issued Aug. 27, 1996 to Baldock for Rolled Vinyl Siding. The '940 patent describes a method for rolling rigid vinyl siding sheet for shipment and sale. An important difference between the Baldock method and products according to the present disclosure is that Baldock teaches a way of rolling siding that has been formed into the finished configuration. Pre-formed siding material will be unavoidably subjected to much greater stresses as it is coiled than would be flat-wound material. Pre-formed siding is also more bulky and requires spacers at the edges of the coil if the material is to be coiled straight. Without edge spacers, the coil will become conical. Not only is a conical roll more difficult to store, stack, and manage, the edge with only a single thickness of siding will be fragile, and the coil will have extra axial length. For example, if the siding of Baldock is formed in a width of 1 foot and a length of 240 feet, the coiled material may have a conical shape at the ends and extend for an axial length of 11/2 to 2 feet.
A 240 foot length of vinyl siding material with edge spacers such that the thickness of the siding plus the spacer material is one inch that is coiled onto a core two feet in diameter will have a finished diameter of five feet. On the other hand, a 240 foot length siding material (approximately 1/16 inch thick) that is flat-wound onto a core two feet in diameter will have a finished diameter of about 21/2 feet. A 500 foot coil would have a diameter of only 3 feet.
Another related patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,685 entitled Vinyl Shingle Roofing Product issued Aug. 6, 1991 to Richards, et al. The '685 patent specifies a roll of tabbed vinyl that is at least 100 feet long so that it would be possible to set an entire course of shingles on most pitched roofs with no vertical seams. Although Richards et al. do not emphasize the potential, it would appear that the roofing product could serve as siding for dwellings, also. Of course, the '685 patent makes no mention of adding the dimensionality that is an important feature of embodiments of the system according to the present disclosure.
The Volk et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,287 issued Jun. 5, 1990 for Distortion-Free Vinyl Siding. The tendency of the siding to expand differentially when heated by sunlight ("oil-canning") is overcome by cutting vertical slits through the nailing strip at the top edge of each piece of siding.
A variety of machinery is presently available for forming continuous strips of steel, aluminum, or other metals into shapes adapted for building siding or roofing. None of the methods are suitable for use by a homeowner or small contractor because the cost of the machinery is too expensive to use only occasionally. What is needed is a type of siding that can be readily stored and shipped but that can also be cut to length and form for immediate installation by a homeowner or other retail customer.
Suter, et al. were issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,399 on Apr. 28, 1987 for their disclosure of a Mobile Roll-Forming Machine of the type used to make continuous roofing material from coiled sheet metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,625 issued Jun. 10, 1980 to Vegh for a Method and Apparatus for Shaping a Strip. The Vegh apparatus is specifically directed to forming siding and fascia from sheet metal.
Similarly, the Beymer U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,666 issued for a Mobile Forming Machine with Embossing Rolls on May 3, 1977. The machine is designed to produce siding that has a texture which resembles wood grain.
The Suter, Vegh, and Beymer patents represent the way seamless siding is currently provided. Each of their methods requires the use of a complex and expensive machine that forms coiled sheet metal to the desired shape on-site.
Baldock et al. and Richards et al. both disclose coiled vinyl materials that are not wound flat.
Vinyl has several advantages as a siding material compared to aluminum or steel. Vinyl is less likely to become dented by hail, baseballs, ladders, etc.; it will not rust or corrode; scratches and nicks do not require touch-up painting because it is the same color throughout; and vinyl is quieter.
Metal siding has a lower coefficient of expansion than vinyl or wood and can be cut to size on-site to minimize waste and clean-up cost. No painting is required for many years after the initial installation
Wood and wood product siding is quieter than metal or vinyl, but is not usually available in lengths sufficient to make seamless installations. The amount of waste material generated by installation of siding made of wood products is greater than that of other types of siding because wood products are available only in fixed lengths. Painting is required periodically (usually every 3 to 5 years) to prevent deterioration.
Brick and stucco are quiet and require little maintenance but are expensive initially compared to siding made of wood products or vinyl.
Despite the efforts of earlier workers in the field, a continuous siding product that can be used by individuals, and small construction and re-modeling contractors has not been developed commercially and introduced nationally.
What is needed is an easily installed siding product that does not require painting. A product that can be vended through retail home improvement centers is needed. it is also desirable that a product that can be shipped and stored economically be provided. A further need is for a product that may be installed without the need for expensive specialized equipment. Yet another need is for a siding product that is long-lasting, durable, and easily repaired.